One of the highlights of the Con Son – Kiep Bac Autumn Festival is the boat race on Luc Dau river (Photo: VGP).

The opening event is the Cao Yet ceremony to ask for permission to open the Kep Bac temple and kick-start the festival, followed with traditional worshipping rituals, folklore practices, and arts performances.

Notable rituals among them include a Buddha worshipping ceremony, incense offering ceremonies to commemorate national heroes Tran Hung Dao (1228-1300) and Nguyen Trai (1380-1442), a walking procession, a seal opening ceremony, and a ritual to pray for peace.

There will also be cultural and arts activities, such as a boat race, water puppetry performances, and a night festival to release colored lanterns on Luc Dau River.

One of the hotly anticipated events of the festival is a boat race re-enacting the historical event when the General Tran Hung Dao lined up his troops and warships on the Luc Dau River to defeat Mongolian invaders in the 13th century.

Source: NDO